wfn.org | UMNS# 029-Carrie Sahmaunt, oldest Kiowa Indian, dies at 101

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Carrie Sahmaunt, oldest Kiowa Indian, dies at 101

Jan. 18, 2006

NOTE: A photograph is available at http://umns.umc.org.

By United Methodist News Service

Carrie Sahmaunt, who was the oldest living member of the Kiowa Indian
Tribe, died Jan. 15 at the age of 101 at her home in Meers, Okla.

The funeral service was scheduled for Jan. 18 at Mt. Scott Kiowa United
Methodist Church, near Lawton, Okla., with burial in the Mt. Scott
Inter-Tribal Cemetery. The church was built in 1895 by her family and is
often referred to as the mother church of the Kiowas. Her parents, the
Quoetones, and husband's family, the Sahmaunts, were charter members.
Today, Mt. Scott Kiowa United Methodist Church is an official United
Methodist historical site.

Sahmaunt's Kiowa name was Tsat-Mah, which means "Door Woman." She was
born Aug. 20, 1904, in Carnegie, Okla., during a Sun Dance being held
north of town. It was when she was forced by the U.S. government to
attend the Rainy Mountain Boarding School with other Kiowa children that
she received her English name, "Carrie."

All Native American children were given English names and would be
punished if they were caught speaking their language. Despite that,
Sahmaunt was among a few Kiowas who still spoke the language.

Sahmaunt was one of three Kiowas who received a 160-acre land allotment
from the federal government almost 100 years ago. In addition to being a
full-blood member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, she was a women's
leader in the United Methodist Church.

"The conference lost another legacy in the passing of Carrie Sahmaunt,"
said the Rev. David Wilson, superintendent of the United Methodist
Church's Oklahoma Indian Missionary (regional) Conference.

"She was a living testimony and inspiration to Native and non-Native
people across the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference and the state of
Oklahoma," Wilson said. "She will be missed, but I am comforted to know
that so many of her children and grandchildren continue to live what she
taught and lived through her belief in Christ. She not only taught what
she believed, but she lived it."

When she turned 100 years old in 2004, more than 400 people from several
tribes and groups across the country and the state of Oklahoma gathered
for the birthday.  She received a birthday card from President George W.
Bush and his wife Laura, as well as a proclamation from the Oklahoma
governor, Brad Henry, in her honor.

According to Jacob Tsotigh, a member of Norman (Okla.) First American
United Methodist Church, Sahmaunt influenced the lives of countless
American Indian people with whom she came in contact.

He also said her parents were leaders of Mt. Scott Kiowa United
Methodist Church, and she remained an integral part of the congregation.

Sahmaunt was a strong believer in education and made sure that all of
her 10 children and a nephew furthered their education beyond high
school. In 1976, she was named the "Merit Mother of the Year" for the
state of Oklahoma, and in 1988, the Oklahoma Council for Indian
Education named her "Indian Education Parent of the Year." She was the
first president of the former West District Women's Society of Christian
Service in the United Methodist Church's former Indian Mission. She also
was a staunch advocate for United Methodist Women, and monthly UMW
meetings were held at her home so that she could participate.

"The passing of two of her daughters and one granddaughter in the last
couple of years weighed heavy on her heart in recent weeks," Tsotigh
said in an e-mail. "She was surely ready to meet her reward through a
lifetime of service and dedication to her people, God's people, that
reached across cultural boundaries and social status to reflect the
genuine presence of God's love to those with whom she served. May God
bless her legacy and memory."

Married to the late Joel Sahmaunt, she is survived by eight children, 23
grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.

News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org